Ireland Vietnam Blood Borne Virus Initiative (IVVI) is a collaborative program between University College Dublin (UCD) and the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) in Hanoi. The programme, which began in 2007, aims to develop capacity in clinical and diagnostic virology and virus research in Vietnam through infrastructure development and specialized training programmes. The concept was developed by Professor William Hall, Director of CRID in response to the significant morbidity and mortality associated with blood borne virus (BBV) infections in Vietnam. Professor Hall is partnered in the IVVI by Professor Hien Tran Nguyen, the Director of NIHE. Dr Lan Anh Thi Nguyen, Head of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology at NIHE oversees the IVVI and all related research activities in Hanoi.

The initiative has established specific MSc and PhD training programmes for Vietnamese staff and has constructed a custom-built laboratory building (IVVI Building) on the NIHE Campus which is furnished with state of the art equipment for virus diagnostics and research. Staff at NIHE and CRID are currently carrying out large scale epidemiological studies on BBV infections in Vietnam. The ultimate goal of the IVVI is to inform and develop public health initiatives to prevent and treat BBV infections in Vietnam.

The Molecular Reference and Research Unit (MRU) carries out molecular epidemiological and pathogenesis studies on a range of blood-borne and respiratory viruses, viral drug resistance and tropism assays and performs WHO surveillance work on influenza, measles, mumps and rubella viruses. Recent research programmes have focused on arboviruses (Dengue and Chikungunya viruses) and HCV.

The Host-virus Interaction Mapping Programme aims at characterising at the molecular and functional levels, interactions between key human viruses (HCV, HTLV-1, HTLV-2 and HIV-1) and the host cellular machinery. To delineate the host-virus interface, we have developed an expanding portfolio encompassing a wide array of tools for cellular biology, molecular virology combined with proteomic and metabolomic approaches.

The Viral Pathogenesis Programme has been focused on animal models of adult T cell leukemia (ATL) which is caused by HTLV-1 infection. The studies which are in collaboration with the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo are designed to identify specific molecular events in disease development and to develop novel therapeutics to treat this disease.